Playoffs Recap, Week 2: The Final Act

As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Sadly this week, that came true for Albany, who saw their first round series with the IceCaps go off the tracks once they reached Canada, only managing one goal in their final two games. On with the final recap of the season:

The series shifted to Newfoundland on Wednesday night, where a sold out whiteout was in effect. The Icecaps dominated in shots during the first period, outshooting the Devils 17-6. But Keith Kinkaid was up to the challenge, making quite a few big stops early on. But off a Darcy Zajac turnover, Kael Mouillerat would breakaway and score with 2:10 left in the period for a 1-0 lead. And that goal would stand up for goaltender Michael Hutchinson, as he only had to stop 8 Devil shots in the second period. Third period Albany would outshoot St. John’s 10-5, but with still nothing getting past Hutchinson, it was too little too late. Hutchinson would stop all 24 Albany shots, and the Devils found themselves in a 2-1 series hole. Kinkaid was outstanding in net, stopping 34 of 35 shots. The penalty kill was a little busy thanks to 3 minors in a span of 8 minutes from Jon Merrill, among others, but managed to go 6 for 6.

Throw in all the must win cliches you want and they all would describe the Devils situation going into Friday night’s Game 4. Unlike the night before, Albany outshot the hosts 12-6 in the first period. But it was former River Rat killer Andrew Gordon (who was a key cog in sweeping the River Rats in their last ever playoff series while with Hershey) who got the IceCaps on the board 3:47 into the first. He would then add a shorthanded goal 8 minutes into the second for a 2-0 lead. Jon Merrill would answer less than 2 minutes later with a goal of his own, cutting the lead to 2-1. But that was all the offense the Devils could muster. Gordon would singlehandedly put the nail in the proverbial coffin by completing the hat trick on a power play late in the second for a 3-1 advantage. John Albert would add a goal to make it a 3 goal lead. And Michael Hutchinson took care of the rest, stopping 39 of 40 Devil shots on the night, and in turn ending the Devils season with a 3-1 series win. Keith Kinkaid stopped 29 of 33 shots, but had no help offensively over the last two games. Eric Gelinas was the only Devil to finish above even in plus/minus, but he was forced to leave in the second due to injury.

Upset specials all over the Eastern Conference, as all 3 division champions are out. The top 4 seeds in the West all advance.

East: (1) Manchester eliminated by (8) Norfolk 3-1

(2) Springfield eliminated by (7) Providence 3-2

(3) Binghamton eliminated by (6) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3-1

West: (1) Texas sweeps (8) Oklahoma City 3-0

(2) Chicago eliminates (7) Rochester 3-2

(3) Toronto sweeps (6) Milwaukee 3-0

(4) Grand Rapids eliminates (5) Abbotsford 3-1

The second round gets underway tomorrow in St. John’s. To think, if Albany had made it out of the first round, they would have been the top seed remaining in the East and have home ice. Oh what could have been…

Playoff Stat Leaders:

Goals: Six tied with 1

Assists: Kelly Zajac (2)

Points: 4 tied with 2

+/-: 3 tied with +1

Penalty Minutes: Jon Merrill (10)

Keith Kinkaid final stats: 1-3, 2.26 GAA, .932 Save Percentage

Orlando Update:

Unfortunately for the Solar Bears, they saw their season come to an end Tuesday night on home ice against Cincinnati, falling in Game 6 2-1 and losing their first round series 4 games to 2. Maxime Clermont did not play in the final game due to injury. He finishes his season with a combined 11-12-2 record and a 3.35 GAA , and 1-2 with a 2.03 GAA and one shutout in 3 appearances in the postseason.

What’s Next?

The season may be over, but I have some unfinished business: the other two parts of my season review. Look for those later this week.

I will also be bringing back the Free Agent Tracker in July and recapping this year’s NHL Draft class.

And keeping up to date with signings, schedule hints, and any other newsworthy items as the summer goes on.